LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Star Spangled Banner
built 231 days ago
Ninety years prior to being donated to the Smithsonian, the original Star Spangled Banner was in possession of the family of the commanding officer at Fort McHenry, Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead. Modifications to the flag while in possession of the Armistead family include a red chevron stitched onto the third white stripe from the bottom of the flag. The chevron was intended to be the letter "A" and was added by Louisa Armistead. The intention may have been to sew the entire Armistead name, as it was the fashion at the time. Another tradition was the clipping of small pieces of historical objects to give to others deemed worthy of such a keepsake. By the time the Smithsonian received the flag, eight feet and one star had been removed.
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Flag at the time the Star Spangled Banner was produced included 15 alternating red and white stripes and 15 white stars in a blue union located in one corner of the flag. Each of these distinctive features has been represented in the exhibit. Tactile exhibits include replicas of the size and shape of the stars and stripes along with their arrangement. Although difficult to demonstrate the 30-by- 42 foot size of the flag to a person who is blind, the actual size of a star gives some perspective on the enormity of the banner.
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Throughout the Star Spangled Banner's existence, various efforts have been made to maintain it. In 1873, George Henry Preble took the first known photograph of the flag. In order to take this photograph, a canvas backing was added to reinforce the fragile fabric enough to be hung. Forty-one years later, Amelia Fowler was hired by the Smithsonian to add a new backing to the flag. Mrs. Fowler had a patented method of flag preservation involving linen stitched on by thread dyed to match the particular color on each section of the flag. Samples of the backing fabric are available to view and touch in the exhibit, along with the wool and cotton fabric used for the flag itself.
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Unless you know all four stanzas of the Star Spangled Banner you may find this most interesting. Perhaps most of you didn't realize what Francis Scott Key's profession was or what he was doing on a ship. This is a good brush-up on your history.
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"The Star Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889 and the President in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on March 3rd 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 USC ยง301).
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Over the years the Star-Spangled Banner has undergone a series of transformations. When it was made in 1813 it was a simple garrison flag. After the British attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry in 1814, it became a valued keepsake in the family of Lt. Col. George Armistead, the fort's commander. The popularity of Francis Scott Key's anthem during and after the Civil War transformed it into a national treasure. Since going to the Smithsonian in 1907, the historic flag has been a visible reminder of both the ideals represented by the American flag and the need to preserve those ideals.
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Star Spangled Banner